The personal and economic costs associated with drug and alcohol abuse are staggering.

In 2010, the total estimated cost of substance abuse in Maine — including corrections, law enforcement, long-term health effects and premature death — was more than $1.4 billion, translating to $1,057 for every Maine resident.

Maine’s youngest are not spared. The state has seen an alarming spike in the number of drug-affected babies: In 2012, 779 babies were born drug-affected, which is five times the number in 2005.

What can be done about the problem facing both adults and infants? What work is already underway in Maine, and how can the state expand upon it?